If you've been to Seed before, you may have seen people walking around in orange. They're not just burners in costume - they're our rangers, and they're a vital part of Burning Seed.

Rangers have a very important role on site and contribute to the smooth running fo the event. They are not the police, they're participants like yourself who have decided to be sober and responsible for a few hours and walk around to help out other community members. With access to walkie talkies, training and a kick-ass cadre of seasoned veteran burners supporting them, Rangers volunteer their time to make sure that people are empowered when their radical self reliance runs out. This doesn't mean that they stop people from having fun; rather, they might point out the ways that that spiky bar could hurt you, and then call the medics if your long jump doesn't go as planned. You'll often see them dancing their butts off to a great set at a theme camp, but they'll also check in to make sure that person in the corner is choosing to sleep instead of passing out.

If you're in trouble on the paddock, the Rangers are a great first resource - they're good for helping find lost children, they can help mediate disputes and many are very good huggers if they're asked to provide one. Consent is still required though, so please don't just go jumping on them expecting they'll love it!

Ranger Training

Rangers learn to be so awesome through their training which happens pre-burn off-paddock, or on the first day of Seed for people who don't live in major cities or missed out on the pre-burn events. Training covers what to do in a variety of situations and returning rangers often help mentor newer rangers to provide even more range of experience. At training you will learn how to use radio protocols, how to approach a situation without inflaming it and also get the opportunity to hold the perimeter during burns. Burns can't happen without a safe perimeter, so rangers are CRUCIAL for one of the most fun and important parts of the event!

Burning Seed has one of the highest ratios of participants that have gone through ranger training of any burn in the world, which is something to be proud of. Ranger training is useful both for Seed and outside of Seed, and many participants have reported that their ranger training helped them out in sticky situations in the default world as well.

Why and how to get involved!

Are you interested in volunteering your time as a ranger? We would absolutely LOVE to have you on board. You'll get to experience Burning Seed from a whole new perspective and build some great relationships along the way.

If you need to get to the paddock early to get settled in before training, there's a link to Early Entry on the FB invite so that you can let us know when you plan to arrive. If you think you can make the paddock better by donning the orange, step up, come volunteer and be a part of a crucial, awesome team!

And where there’s fire, there’s a bunch of smokin’ hot firefighters. And one of them could be you!

The Fire Art Response Team is still seeking 20 more crew members for Burning Seed 2019.

It’s no secret we love to burn shit, and in order to burn shit it’s crucial we have a competent team of burners who will be prepared to show up and be on the ready should any emergencies occur. You don’t even need experience… you’ll get all the training you need on site, and if you’re a novice, you’ll be paired with a veteran at all times. Your protective gear will be provided, and you’ll get to dress up like the sexy kitten-rescuing calendar stripper you’ve always wanted to be.

Meow!

You’ll do one non-burn shift where you’ll be responsible for raising fire safety awareness, as well as patrolling two of the three burns during the event. Sobriety for your shifts and your own safety boots are the only prerequisites.

We need at least 20 crew members, and you’ll be greeted with particular enthusiasm if you’ve got firefighting experience or you’ve FARTed at Burns past. If you’re keen, feel free to head straight over to the website and apply.

The Participation Station is a crucial part of the Burning Seed operation, and over the past two years it has become a functional work of art unto itself. Located next to Centre Camp, this is where lost and found is collected and sorted, the schedule of events is updated and accessed, and you can sign up and change your crew shifts.

We currently need 22 more crew members to make the Participation Station happen! This is a great role if you…

love helping!

are a social butterfly and want to do your crewing in the middle of the action

want to be embraced enthusiastically every time you reunite someone with their precious drink bottle / favourite hat / missing earring

like telling people where to go

prefer to sit down for your crew shift rather than stand up or walk around

like to do your shifts during the day so you have your nights free

have kids and need a shift you can do with your littles

If any of this sounds like you, head on over to the website, fill out the application form and select ‘participation station’ checkbox, and you will be warmly welcomed and enthusiastically appreciated!

We are also in great need of a couple of people to stay back post-event and help sort the lost and found. If you’re able to do this, make a note on your application. We’ll even fuel you up with a delicious breakfast from the amazing Burning Seed kitchen each day you help!

You’re probably seen those images and videos on Facebook showing the aftermath of some mainstream festivals – rubbish flying everywhere, broken tents abandoned, cigarette butts and sequins as far as the eye can see. And if you’ve been to even one burn, you may have watched it smugly in the knowledge that we’re just that little bit better than other people.

But our immaculately left paddock doesn’t happen by accident. As well as a general consciousness around MOOP and Leaving no Trace, we also have an amazing team who comb the paddock after it’s all over, removing the debris that has been overlooked so we can truly leave Matong as we found it.

If you can stay back a day or two, the Leave No Trace team would love to hear from you! MOOP sticks and equipment are provided, and you get breakfast and a hot shower to say thank you.

Anyone who has participated in a build will tell you what a special experience it is, raising the city from the dust, working together to build the structures and create the magic from the ground up. But it’s also intense – a group of people, on-site for weeks at a time, in each other’s pockets constantly and working to deadlines without many comforts of home. Tempers get frayed, emotions are raw, and conflicts occur. Welcome to being human, right?

For this reason, we’ve created a brand new and very exciting role: The DPI PEER Support Human.

Your main role is to be a sounding board, a listener, a dispute resolver and a mediator when required, so it would be amazing if you have some experience in this area. Beyond being available for that, you have the freedom to make what you want of this role.

You could learn some carpentry skills and get involved with the build.

You could set up a yoga studio, run some movement or meditation sessions, or create a space that will help with maintaining peace on the paddock.

You could use the time to catch up your reading, work on your Seed costumes, or do some crafting.

It’s up to you! The role is open to interpretation right now, and we want someone to run with it and make it their own.

So you’ve decided you want to come to Seed and contribute to the gifting culture of this awesome event. It occurs to you that volunteering would be a great way to do this and meet awesome likeminded people but… which crew to choose? Fortunately for you, dear friend, one of the most important and fun teams are looking for new superstars: The Amazing Loo Crew! These are the silent (and not so silent) warriors shining the plastic thrones and keeping them well stocked, functional and in the mintiest of conditions for all the inhabitants of the Paddock over the course of the week. Fear not friends! Once onboard, you’ll be provided with everything you need to ensure you are prepared for the role, so crewing with Sanitation services can be considered one of the easiest job in which to earn Paddock-cred for minimal effort.

I’m listening, I’m keen, we hear you say, but I don’t like scrubbing toilets…well aren’t you in luck! The portaloos we use require no scrubbing or deep-diving to fix blockages so you can keep that sparkly Unicorn onesie that you scored for a bargain at Savers in perfect, unsoiled condition (though let’s be honest, it probably had a few to begin with)!

Ok, so what does the role involve and what is the time commitment?

The loo crew are responsible for ensuring the loos are functional, full of water and stocked with loo rolls twice a day. You'll remove empty toilet rolls and run over any messy ones with some sanitiser - and that's it! Then you can go and get a hot shower, have a meal and relax! If you join the loo crew you will be required to attend a crew briefing on 24th Sep onsite at Burning Seed (the day before the event opens) and complete 2-4 shifts on site during the event. Each shift would be 3-4 hours either between 8am - 12pm or between 2pm - 6pm. You can find the full Position Description here.

Did you mention showers? How about more PERKS!

Yes, there are perks! Plenty of them. As a sanitation crew member, you’re entitled to the following:

A hot shower after each shift!!!

3 meals a day during build and packdown

A meal and self serve snacks every day you volunteer during the event

Not to mention the lavish praise that will be heaped on you by the grateful burners who will appreciate your efforts and the life-long friendships with your fellow Loo crew-members, bonded by sanitiser that will endure forever! Sweet deal, we hear you gasp!

Where and how do you sign up?

Head on over to the community crew page on our website and scroll down to the 'All the Onsite Roles' section. There, under 'Sanitation Services' you will find the Position Description - but for those who missed it, we have also linked it above. Then all you have to do is use that 'Click Here To Apply' button at the top of the page to send your expression of interest to jump on-board with the Burning Seed Sanitation Services’ 2019 team; get it while it’s hot! Of course, as with any volunteer role at Seed, you will need to have a ticket.

Radical self-reliance note! Whilst the toilets are maintained by this stellar Loo crew, the general tidiness and care of toilets at the event in total is the responsibility of all who attend.

So it’s ticket time again, and if you’ve got your hot little hands on a promise for Burning Seed 2019, you’ll no doubt be asking yourself the One Crucial Question.

“How can I best contribute to this magical journey of goodness and wonder?”

Alternatively, you may be asking “Why should I do stuff?”, but either way, I have your answers.

TOP TEN REASONS TO CREW AT BURNING SEED

Someone has to! If nobody did it, there would be no Seed.If not you, then who?

Develop skills and try new things. If you want to expand your knowledge, get a new skillset, try something new, learn from awesome peeps, or get some volunteer work to add to your CV, a crew role at Seed is a brilliant way to do this.

Meet excellent people. Crewing is a fabulous way to connect with other amazing burners. If you’re new to Seed, or just want to expand your connections beyond your usual crew, this is the way!

It’s fun. Whether fun for you is dressing up and hugging new arrivals or putting together the perfect spreadsheet, we make a point of weaving the good times into every role.

It’s part of a meaningful burn experience. Participation and being part of the whole shebang is what makes this different to a festival. Knowing you were one of the cogs in this incredible machine adds a delicious layer of meaningfulness that takes Burning Seed beyond ‘a fun time’.

The awesome, awesome shwag. That’s right, every crew member gets a FABULOUS LIMITED EDITION GIFT that will remind you of the good times for years to come.

It promotes well-being and self-esteem. I got that from the internet. Probs true though.

A chance to give back to the community that has probably given a whole lot to you through connections, experiences, memories, growth and good times. Reciprocity makes the world go round, yo!

<Insert reason here>. There are infinite reasons particular to your personality, your role, your needs, your contributions and your individual experience. You can fill this gap for yourself after you’ve signed up, fulfilled your role, had the best time ever and you’re sitting at home post-Burn reflecting on your experience.

Burning Seed 2019 : Zoophemism will be held at our home of Matong State Forest for the 8th year. Since our first burn there in 2011 we have enjoyed tremendous support from the local community. This support continues to make our event possible and we are extremely grateful for it.

Showing the community that we also support and appreciate them is something we are continuously working on. Existing initiatives include increasing the value of goods and services we purchase locally each year, making donations to local community groups and organisations, and expanding the native and urban regeneration work done by Red Earth Ecology.

The other way we like to say ‘thank you’ to those living close to the place we call Red Earth City is to provide discounted tickets for locals to attend Burning Seed. Whether you have been attending since 2011, or would like to dip your toe in the water for the first time this year, this is part of how we welcome you HOME to experience the sights, sounds, and delights that our community provides to all who attend.

Locals Tickets are $165 and provide you access from the minute gates open at midday Wednesday 25th September through to the last dusty goodbye 6 days later on Tuesday 1st October. To be eligible for one of these tickets you need to live within 50km of Matong State Forest (not including Wagga Wagga and its surrounding suburbs).

If you would like to access a Locals Ticket then please email ticketing@burningsed.com with a copy of your driver's license or other photo ID that includes your address. Once they have verified your details they will email you a link to purchase your ticket through our ticketing provider Quicket.

If you have any questions about Locals tickets (or any other tickets for that matter) then please email ticketing@burningseed.com

For those of you following along at home, this iteration of the Restructure Committee has been working away since May of 2017. First we consulted the community and wrote a report on our findings; then we released a call-out for people interested in being founding members of the new entity. You can catch up on anything else you missed at http://burningseed.com/future-of-seed/

And guess what?! We’ve hit another milestone in this process.

A few weeks ago, we sent out an email to those who expressed interest in membership, asking for a show of hands for those who would like to be on the vision group tasked with forming the constitution for the new entity. The vision group was open to all, and also featured seven* reserved positions for those interested in going on to serve on the governing body. We received more than seven applicants for those positions, which leads us to our milestone:

We’re having our first election!

Those who have expressed interest in being foundational members of the new entity running Burning Seed will be voting on these reserved positions. Those who win the election will have assumed positions on the governing body of the new entity (post incorporation), but this is not guaranteed. This will need to be confirmed by the membership at the foundation meeting.

I want to vote. How can I sign up?

Express your interest in becoming a founding member! It’s super easy: just email futureofseed@burningseed.com with your full name, personal email, and a brief description of your previous involvement in Burning Seed. You need to submit this by 5pm Monday 29th July.

We need to close the electoral roll before beginning the election, and we cannot add anyone to the roll after the election has started. After the electoral roll has closed, further communications about the election will be sent directly to the founding membership.

Please note this is not a call out for membership of the restructure committee or for volunteers for Burning Seed - it is purely a drive for membership of the new not-for-profit entity that will run Burning Seed. If you have already expressed your interest in entity membership during our earlier promo drive there is no need to respond again: you will already be on the electoral roll.

How will the election run?

After deliberating on several options, the Restructure Committee has decided on OpaVote as the platform for conducting this election. We felt that OpaVote had the best features, security, price, and company ethos for our community. Please note that this does not mean that this will be the election platform for the new entity going forward: that will be up to the Vision Group to decide. This decision relates to this election only.

The election will be counted using a single transferable vote (STV) method (a type of preferential voting). This will provide us with the most accurate vote distribution.

Who’s running, anyway?

*Why seven reserved members?

You may recall that, in the community consultation report, the Restructure Committee recommended between seven and nine directors. This is because community responses demonstrated two strong preferences - seven and nine. So we recommended that a range would best fit this finding.

After publishing that report, we have received advice from Prolegis that it is good practice to select one number, and not a range. The consultation responses showed a slightly greater preference for seven, and that is why we have settled on this number (see Chart 11 of the report).

The June long weekend saw a flurry of activity in Matong. Local residents and out of town Burners came together for a Red Earth Ecology planting with an urban focus. It was a fun weekend with new and old friendships forged and strengthened, and was the culmination of many months of research, planning and site preparation. As usual there was a lot of great food, laughter, sore muscles, beautiful bonfires and inspiring conversation.

About two dozen folk planted 1200 locally indigenous trees, shrubs, ground covers and grasses over seven different sites around town - from landscaping the local park, to creating bird and insect attracting enhancement to resident's gardens, to screening shelter belts. It is going to be awesome watching them come to maturity - check it out on your way to Seed this year.

Over the past five years Red Earth Ecology has worked with local farmers to offset the biodiversity loss at Matong State Forest which occurs each year as a result of 4000+ punters creating Red Earth City. The decision to begin planting in town was informed by several years of ongoing drought in the district in combination with the uncertainty of regeneration work in the face of noticeable climate change. Also, more and more locals are coming to Burning Seed each year, and we wanted to celebrate the ongoing blurring of the line between local and 'Burner'.

For many of us who have been working in the bush regeneration field for decades, it's like being a beginner all over again. The plant selections and the timing of plantings that used to be viable are just not surviving in the field anymore. Planting in an urban environment where the seedlings are able to be watered more frequently and have a closer eye kept on them is part of Red Earth Ecology's expanding vision as we continue to experiment and transition with new species selections and techniques into ongoing climate disruption.

It's always been a learning process, but the curve is getting steeper.

The next collaboration between Matong village and Red Earth Ecology will be in late Spring, with a weekend of local Seed collection and propagation workshops being held (TBA). We aim to grow many of our own seedlings for next years plantings. The closer the seed is collected to the planting sites, the better genetically adapted it is to the location, with a significantly enhanced chance of survival. There are so many benefits associated with urban planting - from cooling the environment, to raising the medium housing price, creating habitat for native animals and birds, better mental health outcomes in the community, to strengthening community resilience and connectedness.

Many thanks to all those volunteers who gave up their weekend to assist. To the locals and Matong Community Group who embraced this project so enthusiastically, Sonya Spencer and David Currie who generously allowed us to camp at their farm, and to Coolamon Shire Council for their in-kind support which enabled us to begin transforming Matong Park. This was the first in a series of ongoing Red Earth Ecology projects focusing on Matong township, and felt like the beginning of a wonderful collaboration.

This year sees Red Earth Ecology bringing a physical space to Burning Seed for the first time. We'll be located at First Camp, providing a library of ecological resources, some workshops, ecology and birdwatching walks, as well as a ecology based collaborative artwork exploring the local landscapes, their Wiradjuri history, and the way that the written word erases oral culture. Come and say G'day and let's continue the conversation around ecology, Country, justice and climate.